The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for testing the electrical components and wiring contained in a lighting system.
Lighting systems used to illuminate athletic fields such as baseball fields, football fields, soccer fields and the like generally require the installation of light fixtures 20-120 feet above the ground. The light fixtures are often installed in arrays mounted at the top of a support pole. If any light fixture in a lighting array malfunctions, it may be difficult to determine the source of the failure without the use of a crane or ladder capable of reaching the light fixtures.
Lighting systems which use high intensity discharge (HID) lamps require the use of ballasts, capacitors, and various wires interconnecting the components of the lighting system. The failure of a lamp, ballast, capacitor, or wire may result in the failure of the lighting system.
Current test methods involve disconnecting each component to test them individually or swapping each component in and out of the lighting system to locate any defective components. This procedure requires electrical power to be applied to the system, and/or the use of special meters and the technical specifications for each component in order to determine the operability of each component. Furthermore, these tests may isolate problems in a particular component, but cannot detect problems in the wiring between the components without the use of a crane or boom truck to reach the light fixtures at the top of the pole.
Therefore, these previous attempts to locate faults in lighting systems are expensive, time-consuming, and must be performed by an electrician due to the requirement of a live power test. Additionally, the testing of HID lighting systems requires a specialized knowledge not held by all electricians. Thus, previous diagnostic testing systems and methods required a qualified electrician possessing the appropriate knowledge and special meters to test HID lighting systems.
The present diagnostic tester provides an apparatus for testing a lighting system having at least one lamp, a capacitor, a ballast, and various wires interconnecting these lighting system components. The diagnostic tester is capable of isolating the particular component or wiring in the lighting system producing the failure of the lamp, including failure of the lamp itself. The diagnostic tester connects to a diagnostic receptacle on a light pole easily accessible from the ground, rather than by a crane. The tests are performed with the lighting system power turned off and therefore may be performed by maintenance personnel, rather than an electrician. Since the power is off, the risk of injury due to electric shock is eliminated.
The components of the lighting system are not disconnected to perform the test, thereby making the testing easier, faster, and less expensive. Since the testing is performed at or near ground level, the use of a crane or similar apparatus is not required. Therefore, maintenance costs are reduced by permitting the quick identification of problem components. Additionally, the diagnostic tester permits the pretesting of light fixtures on the ground before installation on the lighting poles.
The diagnostic tester includes a connector adapted to operatively engage the diagnostic receptacle. Means are provided in the diagnostic tester for automatically and simultaneously testing the ballast, the capacitor, and the plurality of wires contained in the lighting system which connect the capacitor and the ballast to a single lamp.
A multivibrator circuit connected to any illuminatible device is used to test the capacitor and the illuminatible device blinks if the capacitor is functioning properly. A ballast test circuit includes an illuminatible device, such as a light emitting diode, and a driver for indicating whether the primary and the secondary of the ballast is functioning properly. A wiring test circuit includes at least a pair of light emitting diodes, and possibly an optional LED, along which associated drivers for indicating whether the plurality of wires in the lighting system connected between the ballast and the lamp are properly connected.
A continuity plug is capable of being inserted into the diagnostic receptacle when the diagnostic tester is disconnected from the diagnostic receptacle. The continuity plug, when inserted into the diagnostic receptacle, interconnects the lamp wiring, the ballast and the capacitor in a normal operable manner for normal operation of the lighting system.
When testing the lighting system, power is first disconnected from the lighting system. The LED""s in the tester are then tested for proper operation. Next, the continuity plug is removed from the diagnostic receptacle and the diagnostic tester is connected to the receptacle. The capacitor is tested and its associated light emitting diode indicates whether the capacitor is functioning properly. Similar tests are performed on the ballast and wiring contained in the lighting system.
One of the LEDs in the tester may also be employed for indicating the continuity of a lighting system fuse. In this optional embodiment, a pair of terminals are mounted on the tester housing and are engageable with opposite ends of a lighting system fuse. The terminals are connected across the indicator such that the application of electrical power to the indicator and the terminals will enable the indicator to indicate the continuity or non-continuity of a fuse connected across the terminals by the on or off state of the indicator.
In another embodiment in which a lighting system employs a higher wattage lamp which requires the use of a separate ignitor, the diagnostic tester of the present invention may also be employed to test the ignitor by employing the same lighting wiring test procedures described herein.
After all tests have been performed, the diagnostic tester is disconnected from the diagnostic receptacle and the continuity plug is reinserted into the diagnostic receptacle. Finally, power is restored to the lighting system.
It is becoming increasingly common to mount two or more lighting systems on a single pole with the lighting systems (lamp, capacitor, ballast, and various wires interconnecting them) sharing a single ballast box. Power is often supplied to these dual-system, single ballast box fixtures via a xe2x80x9ccommon blockxe2x80x9d power and fusing terminal. In a further form of the invention, a dual-system ballast box having a xe2x80x9ccommon blockxe2x80x9d is provided with two diagnostic receptacles. Each diagnostic receptacle is electrically interconnected with the common block and one lighting system""s lamp, capacitor, ballast, and wiring through a special continuity plug. The manner in which each diagnostic receptacle is wired into its respective lighting system and the common block through the continuity plug provides an automatic isolation of the system from the common block when the continuity plug is removed for testing. This isolation prevents the possibility of backfeed from the other ballast sharing the common block. Backfeed from the untested ballast can result in a false reading with respect to a particular component or wiring in the system being tested.
This dual-system, single-box diagnostic receptacle arrangement is tested with a diagnostic tester and connector modified from the single-system receptacle described above. The continuity plug for each dual system receptacle also differs from the single-system plug, and provides automatic isolation of an associated lighting system from the common block.
The dual-system receptacles are also useful for high wattage systems which may include extra capacitor and lamp wire connections in the ballast.